Mike Ditka hasn’t seen social injustice the last 100 years

Because in the world of the Hall of Fame tight end and coach, there is no social injustice, and no oppression of any minority groups in the last 100 years.

Via the Chicago Sun-Times, Ditka appeared with host Jim Gray on Westwood One’s Monday Night Football pregame show, and it got awkward in a hurry.

After Ditka declared his belief that all players should stand for the anthem, Gray asked if he would bench players who didn’t.

“Yes, I don’t care who you are, how much money you make,” Ditka said. “If you don’t respect our country, then you shouldn’t be in this country playing football. Go to another country and play football. If you had to go somewhere else and try to play the sport, you wouldn’t have a job. . . . If you don’t respect this flag and this country, then you don’t know what this is all about. I would say, adios.”

Asked about previous sporting legends such as Muhammad Ali and Jesse Owens using their platforms for social justice, Ditka went deep (into something).

“I don’t know what social injustices [there] have been,” Ditka said. “Muhammad Ali rose to the top. Jesse Owens is one of the classiest individuals that ever lived. Is everything based on color? I don’t see it that way. You have to be color blind in this country. You have to look at a person for what he is and what he stands for and how he produces — not by the color of his skin. That has never had anything to do with anything.

“But, all of a sudden, it has become a big deal now — about oppression. There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I’m not watching it as carefully as other people. I think the opportunity is there for everybody — race, religion, creed, color, nationality. If you want to work, if you want to try, if you want to put effort in, you can accomplish anything. And we have watched that throughout our history of our country.

“People rise to the top and have become very influential people in our country by doing the right things. I don’t think burning the flag, I don’t think protesting the country, . . . it’s not about the country. . . . They are protesting maybe an individual, and that’s wrong too. You have a ballot box, you have an election. That’s where you protest. You elect the person you want to be in office. And if you don’t get that person in office, I think you respect the other one. Period.”

Ditka won a title with the Bears in 1963. Perhaps caught up in the excitement, he missed the passage of the Civil Rights Act the following year, or the problems that preceded it — and the ones which continue to this day.

While it’s easy to dismiss the remarks as those of a cranky old man who just wants you young (black) rabble rousers to get off his lawn, they’re also as prevalent as they are willfully ignorant. One of the great things about being privileged is how easy it is to never see the problems around you.

I loved Mike Ditka as a coach and he was perfect for the Bears Super Bowl run. However, he’s become the Bobby Knight of the NFL; a championship coach with questionable character, boorish behavior and chatter born of ignorance, bitterness and stupidity. Embarrassing.

No reasonable person is suggesting social injustice is wiped out today, but no intelligent person can say significant progress hasn’t been made since the 1960s. The numbers say police brutality isn’t as widespread as the uniformed would like us to believe. The real reasons for inequality are being largely ignored, because it’s easier to pile on the police.

Players and celebrities are reluctant to talk about the conditions which lead to the chaos in places like Chicago because it isn’t politically correct to do so. We’re living in the age of victimization, and nothing will change until the socioeconomic factors improve. Jobs, education, smart personal decisions, and staying out of trouble, are the overwhelming factors for equality, and a happy life.

I don’t see why the NFL deserves to drape itself in flag and bask in the glory of the national anthem anyway – it’s just a PR stunt/prop for them, as evidenced by their recently also allowing players to use it the same way.

Long ago in the good old days anthems used to only be played at finals and international games, and to comemmorate national anniversaries rather than for the self-aggrandizement of the sport itself. That’s what needs to be returned to.

Why are people concerned about the political beliefs of idealistic young people in there 20’s? Go to any college campus and demand the students stand for The Anthem and I’ll guarantee you 20% of them wouldn’t. Trump is the president not the dictator of the United States and should be more concerned about more important issues …. and yes, I voted him.

Wishing I could wave a magic wand and make Mike Ditka a young black man circa 1917 to show him what a load of manure just passed his lips. Then I could just keep time hopping him a decade in the future a decade at a time for reference.

Is everything based on color? I don’t see it that way. You have to be color blind in this country. You have to look at a person for what he is and what he stands for and how he produces — not by the color of his skin. That has never had anything to do with anything…………

If only some in modern society would embrace this. Identity Politics, unevenly applied racial justice has turned many into perceived victims. Everyone has a chance in America, and it’s everyone’s own responsibility to do so, regardless of race. For those who elect to not work hard to get ahead have no business blaming others for their shortfalls. It is never anyone else fault if a persons fails. The problem today is lack of accountability.

The author may call this man willfully ignorant drawing from his limited viewpoint of social injustice..But what Ditka said about color is spot on. No one should have an advantage because of it, nor should it be a liability.

I’m pretty sure the rich and famous of any race are not having a bad time of it. But for normal folks the experience may differ. That’s what the protests are about. Not their personal experience. Oh, and it’s not about the troops or the flag either. That’s just smoke to generate the usual fake outrage.

Saw an interesting interview with Jim Brown recently. Devoted his post football life to activism, but when the hosts tried to turn him into a BLM sock puppet he pointed out that he never knew his father and the three most important men in his life had all been white football coaches. We are all in this together no matter how hard the socialists try to break us apart.

Where a 100 years is an exaggeration, the Civil rights Act of 1964 was passed 53 years ago – long before these players were born.

In the world they have grown up in, they are not aware of segregation, slavery, etc. And that is a good thing. Are we perfect? No – perfection doesn’t exist. But a person born in the US has far more options available to them that many people in other countries would die for.

So “privileged” is being one of four sons of a welder and working for and earning everything you have? Maybe from his perspective, anyone can succeed in this country. To characterize him as a hateful racist is completely unfair and unreasonable. His point was not that there are no obstacles or challenges, but that any individual may overcome and succeed by working hard, being respectful, and doing the right things.

I 100% agree with this comment -“You have to be color blind in this country. You have to look at a person for what he is and what he stands for and how he produces — not by the color of his skin.” BUT the idea that there have been no social injustices in the last 100 years is wildly laughable. I think the biggest disconnect for middle-age to elderly white people is that they don’t see the injustices because it doesn’t happen to them, and most importantly never effects them. How do you get them to see and feel this?

Because you feel something, doesn’t make it true. Because you feel something, doesn’t make it racist. Because you feel something, doesn’t compel others to agree. Because you feel something, doesn’t replace rationality or logic. All the SJW are driven by feelings and if you don’t accept those feelings as your own, it’s called “privilege”. Well screw your feelings.

The same people who don’t understand that the right to peaceably assemble and demand redress of grievances are the folks who truly disrespect the flag through their ignorance of the very constitution the flag and anthem are SYMBOLS of. The same constitution nimrods wave to point out their right to horde all the guns and ammo they can haul, also gives young men of color the right to take a knee. Now for all of you flag respecters make sure you direct your ire at every business in the country that flies a tattered and dirty stars and bars.

I disagree, there has been tons of oppression in the last 100 years. We have gotten better, way better in fact. But there is still more to go on that so the constant improvements should continue.

But at the same time the protest is stupid. They are treating it like a contest or something. Slap people in the face and dare them to say something. Finding out that it upset people just made them want to do it more. They put a big old chip on their shoulder and dared anyone to knock it off. And some one did (which was equally stupid, I’m not defending him either) and now they are flipping out at the affront to their sense of entitlement.

Meanwhile the NFL and owners has started to lose money over this and of all the voices that’s the one that will get heeded in the end.

Things won’t change in this country for a very long time. It was a country born from blood, from wiping out American Indians to enslaving a race for profit. These are things buried into us as a society, and they don’t leave easily. Perhaps it’s human nature, to not treat each other equally, to lessen those that dont look like “us” or have shared beliefs. If that’s the case, then we will never become greater than what we are right now. The same biases, same paranoia, same shallow beliefs will be with us forever. To understand what we could be, if we merely chose to be, and knowing that will never happen is the saddest thing of all.

Ditka’s comments aren’t as outlandish as they come off. You have to remember he’s been in Sports his entire life, and for the majority of that life, athletic accomplishment always trumps any racial bias. That isn’t the case in other industries and fields though.

I think he said 100 years off the cuff, and isn’t saying there literally haven’t been any since 1917. I mean, MLB didn’t break the color barrier until the 40’s.

If I had to interpret his words I would assume he is saying people now have it a lot better than people did a long time ago, and they need to stop beating the drum on inequality and start preaching about opportunity and use themselves as examples of that to inspire others.

It’s easy to dismiss Ditka as a crotchety old man. Problem is that his perspective is the same as others who are much younger and much more enlightened. There is a conscious effort to ignore, coopt and misdirect the issues, by proclaiming, we have no social injustice…with an “America love it or leave” it attitude.

The first step in fixing a problem is to acknowledge it. America owes it’s existence to liberal people who decided to PROTEST life under a British rule. The record is replete with the benefits of protests, acknowledging that those in power will not relinquish it voluntarily. Remaining silent has never worked. Eliminating the right to protest is not just wrong, it’s CONSTITUTIONALLY WRONG.

Insane how dumb the majority of the people commenting and voting on this site are. So the general sentiment I gather is, “Ditka is right, there has been no oppression in the last 100 years. Stop whining!” You people on his side disgust me with your ignorance.

It could also have been a bit of a hyperbole. How many times have each of us said stuff like “never in a hundred years” or something. If you take his statement literally then that would mean he’d have to be over a hundred years old. Some of his comments were good, some were bad. Funny how the same people who whine about free speech always find some reason to be offended about someone else’s free speech.

swagjag says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:25 am
Wishing I could wave a magic wand and make Mike Ditka a young black man circa 1917 to show him what a load of manure just passed his lips. Then I could just keep time hopping him a decade in the future a decade at a time for reference.

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While I agree with you, I don’t think it’s fair to compare those days to today. I do agree there is still inequality for Blacks, but also for women (equal pay in the workplace), Hispanics, and other minority groups as well.

Ditka is wrong, but he also has a point in the sense that the people who have come before everyone today, tried to lay the groundwork for a better country, and the players who are kneeling down for 90 seconds owe MORE to those who came before them, than just that.

The diversity of comments on this article show the divide in this Country. Ditka is pretty much spot on regarding the world of today. And his personal points of reference regarding race that are based upon his personal experience in the world of sports ring true. Too many race hustlers out there trying to divide us. Is America perfect? No, but it is still the greatest Country in the world. Sports and entertainment ARE two areas where race is of little consequence.

If I had to interpret his words I would assume he is saying people now have it a lot better than people did a long time ago, and they need to stop beating the drum on inequality and start preaching about opportunity and use themselves as examples of that to inspire others.

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That is how I read it and he’s right, but it doesn’t mean we’re at a place that is acceptable in 2017, either.

Generational bitterness is at the root of all of this. Racial pride brings about racial hatred. All the while the grievance industry grows richer and richer. Anyone who kneels or protests is just a puppet lining someone else’s pocket. Division in the name of unity.

Ditka comes from an older generation that saw and experienced significant inequality and injustice. Totally different today compared to his experience with it earlier in life. Compared to then, life has changed significantly. There are hundreds of thousands of souls who gave their lives to see that things got better going back to the civil war.

nyfootballgiants says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:33 am
Where a 100 years is an exaggeration, the Civil rights Act of 1964 was passed 53 years ago – long before these players were born.

In the world they have grown up in, they are not aware of segregation, slavery, etc. And that is a good thing. Are we perfect? No – perfection doesn’t exist. But a person born in the US has far more options available to them that many people in other countries would die for.
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In “some” other countries.
We have been passed by in lots of areas by lots of other nations now.
They educate their population and even care if they are in good health including not being gunned down while having a bite to eat.
They also do not lead the world in prison population and can even drive over a bridge without it crumbling like a dried out twig beneath them.
You can’t fix your house if you keep believing that the leaky roof is an act of God and something you have no control over.

Time to put grandpa in a home. No oppression since 1917? The GI bill helped create the Middle Class. African American men coming home from service abroad were routinely denied the benefits of this transformative legislation. He missed the civil rights movement? He missed Japanese internment camps? And so on, and so on… Good grief!

kamthechancellor says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:48 am
I would say that 100% of the people who work hard and respect the law live a pretty good life in this country. Which is why it’s a great place to live.
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Well, then why do you need guns???? I mean as you stated, “100% of the people who work hard and respect the law live a pretty good life in this country” – then why do you need protection? Work hard, respect the law and 100% of the time you will be fine – that’s what you said.

So, again I ask, why do you need protection if 100% (that means EVERYONE, no exceptions) of hard-working, law-abiding citizens “live a pretty good life”?

rutchaser says:
October 10, 2017 at 9:26 am
Taurus says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:44 am
And it’s guys that look just like him as the reason why we have the issues in this country!!
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Really? People who are willing to work, put in the effort, not look for handouts and don’t play the victim are the reason why we have problems in this country?
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If you believe that the only reason black people in this country are not on the same economic and social footing as whites is because they don’t want to work hard, put in the effort, or only want handouts, you’re a racist pretty much by definition.

Hes an idiot, but please stop with the privilege stuff. While I’ll agree some white people are, many aren’t including him. As someone else said he came form a pretty humble beginning. To discredit someone just because they are white is no better than profiling. He is ignorant for sure, but come on now

qdog112 says:
October 10, 2017 at 9:08 am
It’s easy to dismiss Ditka as a crotchety old man. Problem is that his perspective is the same as others who are much younger and much more enlightened. There is a conscious effort to ignore, coopt and misdirect the issues, by proclaiming, we have no social injustice…with an “America love it or leave” it attitude.

The first step in fixing a problem is to acknowledge it. America owes it’s existence to liberal people who decided to PROTEST life under a British rule. The record is replete with the benefits of protests, acknowledging that those in power will not relinquish it voluntarily. Remaining silent has never worked. Eliminating the right to protest is not just wrong, it’s CONSTITUTIONALLY WRONG.

Protestors are as American as anybody and we’re not going anywhere.

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For the billionth time….people have no constitutional right to protest while they are working. But just for kicks, why don’t you stage a protest at your job today….offend 1/2 of your business’ customers and get back to us on how it worked out for you

I don’t see it either Mike. I’m white too. I saw the video’s though. They weren’t fake. Maybe it’s more accurate to say we’re not affected because we’re white, than to say it doesn’t exist. Now you sound like you’re really saying you don’t care.

I think the message people forget out of all of this is that Ditka said to be color blind and see people for who they are as people and not judge by color and such. People spin stuff anyway they can to make someone look bad.

“If you don’t respect our country, then you shouldn’t be in this country playing football. Go to another country and play football. If you had to go somewhere else and try to play the sport, you wouldn’t have a job. . . . If you don’t respect this flag and this country, then you don’t know what this is all about. I would say, adios.”

kamthechancellor says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:48 am
I would say that 100% of the people who work hard and respect the law live a pretty good life in this country.
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I can’t believe you believe this. This is possibly the most stunning opinion I’ve ever seen on this site, and that is saying something.

I mean, I guess it depends on your definition of “a pretty good life”. If you mean 100% of people who work hard don’t live in dumpsters, I guess you may be right, although I have some homeless veterans you might like to talk to. If you mean that 100% of people who work hard in this country are prosperous parts of the American middle class, your ignorance is astounding.

Well, then why do you need guns???? I mean as you stated, “100% of the people who work hard and respect the law live a pretty good life in this country” – then why do you need protection? Work hard, respect the law and 100% of the time you will be fine – that’s what you said.

So, again I ask, why do you need protection if 100% (that means EVERYONE, no exceptions) of hard-working, law-abiding citizens “live a pretty good life”?
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Because a significant portion of those who do not “work hard and respect the law” choose to endanger us through failing to respect the law.

philtration says:
October 10, 2017 at 9:44 am
nyfootballgiants says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:33 am
Where a 100 years is an exaggeration, the Civil rights Act of 1964 was passed 53 years ago – long before these players were born.
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That would still put today’s 20-somethings in a position where their parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts had to live with segregation. I’m sure there would be an influence passed down to us if our relatives had to live with that. Time is the ultimate healer just as long as we do not work backwards as a society. The hard feelings should pass with each generation as long as we keep moving forward.

thedawsonator says:
October 10, 2017 at 9:55 am
Hes an idiot, but please stop with the privilege stuff. While I’ll agree some white people are, many aren’t including him. As someone else said he came form a pretty humble beginning. To discredit someone just because they are white is no better than profiling. He is ignorant for sure, but come on now
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You don’t understand what white privilege is.

plenty of comments on here support Mr. Ditka. more proof of the sad truth about America. read it again. he said ‘he has not seen any signs of oppression in the last 100 years’. that’s a sobering thought that many others believe as well. sad

I live in the Midwest. Since this conversation has to be about race I will tell you I’m white. I’m a 3rd descendent American. My great grandparents made the trek to the USA in the late 1890s from Germany. My community is very diverse. White, Hispanic, African Americans, most recently Somalians, and Asians. These people move he for jobs. They work hard like my great grandparents did. We don’t have ghettos, we have trailer parks made mostly of white people who don’t work too hard. No one is a victim here! If you work hard you can accomplish something. If you don’t then you’ll have to pick out a trailer.

“There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of” Umm, I am not as old as you Mike, and I remember Dr King marching so that kids could go to the same school. That a little old lady could drink from the same fountain as other people. We are much better than my youth, but this nation is a long way from being color blind.

xavier179 says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:29 am
Panoramic Wifi, seriously you think the NFL is losing money?
It runs circles around all the major sports, that includes your NASCAR.

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Umm, yes.

And, they will lose leverage as they try to open CBA discussions now. Did you see Joe Lockhart say they approached

They did that to see if the union would take the cheese. Ratings are tumbling, there is no team in London and the networks aren’t going to want to pony up the cash for what the owners want, which is a more lucrative deal than in 2011.

TheDPR says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:43 am
The NFL is NOT losing money. Making hundreds of millions of dollars instead of billions is not “losing money.” The NFL is doing just fine.

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Nope. Not according to what the owners expect and want. That’s 100% false. To you and me, it’s a windfall, but you appear to unaware of how badly they want money from other markets (UK/Europe and China), to be able to be multi-billionaires.

You have to be color blind in this country. You have to look at a person for what he is and what he stands for and how he produces — not by the color of his skin. That has never had anything to do with anything.
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The very definition of ignorance. The color of your skin is a very important part of who you are and your experiences. When you’re white or a celebrity, this may not be as a apparent. Telling someone you don’t see color is the most ignorant comment you can make.

Let me start by saying never been a Ditka fan and still not. Buddy Ryan should have gotten all the credit for the ONE super bowl win on his resume as a coach. With that said, when did Ditka became the history expert? Sorry isn’t this the guy who traded an entire draft for Ricky Williams, didn’t let Walter Payton score a touchdown in the super bowl, was horrible as the New Orleans coach, and couldn’t beat Joe Gibbs to save his life. Yeah so not buying whatever this clown is selling.

fishmanj98 says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:16 am
I have no problem with Mike Florio posting these stories. But the comments on this site are a real turn off. Can’t the story speak for itself without everybody getting their panties in a knot.
I’m tired of the political polemics here and the tastelessness of many of discussion posts
I’m not knocking right or left – I’m keeping my political persuasion close to the vest. But the tone of these conversations is a real turn off

tylawspick6 says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:52 am
TheDPR says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:43 am
The NFL is NOT losing money. Making hundreds of millions of dollars instead of billions is not “losing money.” The NFL is doing just fine.

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Nope. Not according to what the owners expect and want. That’s 100% false. To you and me, it’s a windfall, but you appear to unaware of how badly they want money from other markets (UK/Europe and China), to be able to be multi-billionaires.

Not all of the owners are billionaires.

Get it?
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This position is absurd. Just because the owners are trying to make more doesn’t mean they aren’t making a lot. They didn’t get where they are in life by being satisfied. The fact that they seek greater dollars through expansion is no indication whatsoever that they aren’t making plenty of dollars now.

As a Ditka fan I must say that there comes a point in every mans life where he should just keep his mouth shut and the rest of us should close our ears to anything he has to say.
Unfortunately getting old and losing common sense is part of life.

Hey I have a PhD and I’ve been unemployed more often than not since 2000 — and I’m white. I’m also now 47. I’ve also always been 5’5″. I can go on about ageism, heightism, and the prejudice against people with academic backgrounds. These biases are as strong, and arguably stronger, than racism.

bencoates57 says:
October 10, 2017 at 11:32 am
Hey I have a PhD and I’ve been unemployed more often than not since 2000 — and I’m white. I’m also now 47. I’ve also always been 5’5″. I can go on about ageism, heightism, and the prejudice against people with academic backgrounds. These biases are as strong, and arguably stronger, than racism.

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See below. According to kamthechancellor, you must not be working very hard. Either that, or you disrespect the law. Which is it, Ben?

kamthechancellor says:
October 10, 2017 at 8:48 am
I would say that 100% of the people who work hard and respect the law live a pretty good life in this country.

lukedunphysscienceproject says:
October 10, 2017 at 11:29 am
tylawspick6 says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:52 am
TheDPR says:
October 10, 2017 at 10:43 am
The NFL is NOT losing money. Making hundreds of millions of dollars instead of billions is not “losing money.” The NFL is doing just fine.

0 1 Rate This

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Nope. Not according to what the owners expect and want. That’s 100% false. To you and me, it’s a windfall, but you appear to unaware of how badly they want money from other markets (UK/Europe and China), to be able to be multi-billionaires.

Not all of the owners are billionaires.

Get it?
————

This position is absurd. Just because the owners are trying to make more doesn’t mean they aren’t making a lot. They didn’t get where they are in life by being satisfied. The fact that they seek greater dollars through expansion is no indication whatsoever that they aren’t making plenty of dollars now.

2 1 Rate This

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It’s not absurd at all. I can show you a DIRECT QUOTE from an unnamed owner all angry they aren’t making more money.

It’s not my fault you are not in tune with what these greedy owners, along with Goodell, are doing to the NFL.

bencoates57 says:
October 10, 2017 at 11:32 am
Hey I have a PhD and I’ve been unemployed more often than not since 2000 — and I’m white. I’m also now 47. I’ve also always been 5’5″. I can go on about ageism, heightism, and the prejudice against people with academic backgrounds. These biases are as strong, and arguably stronger, than racism.

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That’s because you have yourself priced out of the market. Not your fault, but it’s true. There are fewer jobs in general, and that includes the people with high end, specialty degrees.

You have to look at a person for what he is and what he stands for and how he produces — not by the color of his skin.
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Ironically, he’s dismissing what these people are kneeling for. This is the definition of willful ignorance.

It’s not absurd at all. I can show you a DIRECT QUOTE from an unnamed owner all angry they aren’t making more money.

It’s not my fault you are not in tune with what these greedy owners, along with Goodell, are doing to the NFL.
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It’s not my fault that you don’t understand the argument. Let me try again: Just because a greedy person is angry that they aren’t making more money doesn’t mean they aren’t already making a lot. I don’t know how many ways I can say the same thing before you understand it.

I don’t think OPPRESSION exists. I do think there are people with bias but I 100% think that it can be overcome with hard work.

Literally millions of poor immigrants came here throught the early 1900’s hoping for a better life. Not speaking the language, not much money in their pockets….and MANY assimilated and “made it”. My father was one of them. A german kid named WERNER who didn’t speak english in post WW2 late 1940’s. You think HE wasn’t discriminated against and picked on his whole adolescent and teenage life?

He went on to quit highschool and join the army, got his GED in the military and learned a skill (electrician). He retired in 2008 making 6 figures.

I understand some people are at a disadvantage but this is still the country of opportunity and I’m sick and tired of the victim mentality. It’s worse than it’s ever been.

Mike Ditka’s comments are related to his knowledge and upbringing in a steel town in Pennsylvania when immigrants of Polish, Italian, Black, Russian, Slovak, etc, etc were discriminated against because they were NOT considered equal, they were not considered white, they were all from the cesspool of discrimination. Ditka was fortunate to overcome these liabilities by playing sports and being pretty darn good at it. He played high school football at Aliquippa, PA alongside other immigrant children as well as blacks and was fortunate to have the skills and the work ethic to go on to college and the NFL. He’s not the only one from Aliquippa to end up in the NFL either.

jmethane says:
October 10, 2017 at 9:50 am
I guarantee you that every single person in here agreeing with Coach Ditka is a white person.
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Keep this handy in case anyone from another planet arrives and asks you to define racism or prejudice.

I think it worth pointing out that what Kaepernick et al. are specifically protesting is the mistreatment of black Americans by the police. Yes, there is a larger accusation of racial injustice tied up in the protest, but the heart of the protest has always been that the government (i.e., the police) unfairly targets and harms black people. So all this jawing about “the land of opportunity” and “rise up and overcome” is not the issue they’re taking on. They’re not talking about access to jobs or education. They’re talking about innocent black people getting harassed, arrested, and, in some cases, murdered in the street by the police without consequence. So what Ditka said is irrelevant. It’s like if you went to the police and said someone stole your car, and they responded with, “So what? You have a job. You have a home. You have it pretty good. Stop complaining.” You can have it good in some respects and still suffer injustice.

Mr. Ditka, with all due respect, you may be of Polish/Ukrainian/Irish/German heritage, but you are still “white” which goes a LONG, LONG WAY in these United States of America, The Beautiful. (tee-hee-hee)

He’s got a point, no matter how hard people try to miss it. Everyone has a chance to succeed in this country. Many have done it. I arrived in this country as an immigrant and I was expected (like thousands of others that get here every year) to succeed, even though my English was broken, my education was disregarded, I had no money, I had no support, I was not familiar with the American culture and history, I was never offered any privileges or benefits, and I was constantly discriminated. There was no special protection for me, no affirmative action or Rooney Rule. And yet, this country expected me (and others like me) to find a job (or two), pay taxes, put my kids through school and in general never become a burden to the state or society at large. And I did succeed, even though my first job was for minimum wage and I had to work two jobs, even though I had to live in a crummy basement, even though I had to go back to school while working and caring for a family.

Somehow, I kept hearing that a large number of people have it worse than me. Even though they’re born here and have a ton of privileges, benefits, and advantages. Right…

Mike Ditka: “You have a ballot box, you have an election. That’s where you protest. You elect the person you want to be in office. And if you don’t get that person in office, I think you respect the other one. Period.”

Mike, two words — Emmitt Till. Not familiar? Then educate yourself. 1955 (you were alive then!). He was Trayvon Martin before Trayvon Martin became a household name (for the worst reason possible). And if a football person is going to say something ignorant, then it deserves to be addressed here on a football site.

Senility is an ugly thing. Let’s not forget that Ditka played in era when players “walked off” concussions. I’m guessing he really can’t remember any oppression. I’m sure there are days when he can’t remember what teams he played for. And so he falls into his default personality traits — being an ignorant loudmouth.

Marc Trestman could have won the Super Bowl with Buddy Ryan’s defense and Walter Peyton running the football. Ditka has always been more bluster than ability – kind of like some orange guy.